Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1887-06-02
A COSTLY FIRE.

Burning of the New York Belt-Line Stables
and Seventy-Five Dwellings-Fifteen
Hundred Horses Perish in the Flames
and Four Hundred Cars Burned-Fears
of Loss of Human Life.
NEW York, May q, a. M.-At halfpast
one o'clock this morning. fire was dlscoy-
cred IN the car stables of the Belt Line
railroad, occupying the sbloclS bounded
by Fifty third and Fifty fourth
streets and Tenth and Eleventh
avenues The fire spread 50
quickly that in few minutes the W hole
of the vast building was ablaze. Inc I'M
mense quantity of feed and other infiam-
mable material supplied plenty OF fuei
for the flames to work their Will upon.
which they did with disastrous effect.
Three alarms were speedily sent out
anu two ambulance calls, because 1t Was
at first supposed that some lives were
lost. This, however. SO far as is knowL
at present, is fortunately not the case.
Fifteen hundred horses and four hun
bred cars, which We're in the building at
the time of the breaking out OF the nre,
were completely burned up.
The fire rapidly spread across Eleventh
avenue to row of frame tenement
houses, which burned up like matches.
The whole block along Fifty-fourth
street, between Tenth ana Eleventh ave.
nues, consisting also of tenementhouses
was completely Quilted, aud the flames
ate their way through to Fifty fifth
street.
The building was fve-story structure.
and covered square block, reaching
back to Eleventh avenue. The upper
stories were occupied by the repair shops
and ombustible material, which bla.ed
as soon as touched by fire.
The offices were situated in the south
east corner. They were in flames SO
quickly that there was no chance to save
the books of the company. Only ton
horses and two cars were saved.
At'two o'clock the walls of the building
fell in with a crash, sending millions OF
sparks and blazing pieces of wood h1gh
in abe air.
The call of the three skies had been
made as soon as the fire chief arrived at
the scene, and engines from all parts of
the city, with the water tower and the
and ladder companies, were rapidly COM
ing. The heat from the burning buildin
was so great that several fremen and
two policemen were Frustrated.
At 1:45 a. m. the flames, aided by the
strong, high winds which were prevail
ing, had leaped across the wide avenue
and commu liclted to the whole block on
the east size, between Fifty third and
Fifty-fourth streets. The block was COM
posed of six-story tenement houses and a
coal yard. The terror stricken tenants
poured out of the building like a swarm
of bees, praying, fighting, cursing by
turns. The scene of terror was indie
scribe. The buildings burned rapidly,
though the fronts facing the avenue were
of brown stone. By 2:30 o'clock they
were completely Quilted
The flames snrcad to the entire SO uare
block over to Ninth avenue.
At $3.50 a. IN. the next block below had
caught fire and was blaz ing fiercely. The
streets IN the vicinity for blocks away were
filed with frightened, crying and woe
stricken tenants fl eelng from the ravag IS
of the flames. The fire attracted thou
sands of awe-stricleu spectators
The loss to the b lit Line people is prob
ably not less than 81 0o01. 1t is estimated
| now that the entire loss will be over
| 81 200. coo. ~,
The tenement houses were thiclkly
! peopled Every floor had from four to five
! families All were poor people who will
lose all their property. 1t Is not known
| how the fire originated.
| So far as known there has not been any
| Toss of life. A number of men slept in the
| car stables. Ambulance5 have been sent
to the scene to be ready if needed. Owing
to the distance of the fire In the upper
part of the city it is diff .ult to get particu-
| lars.
$3.50 a. ma telephone message just re.
| ceived from the scene of the fire says it is
| believed that there has b zen heavy loss
| of life. A number of policemen and fire
men were overcome by the heat and sent
| to the Roosevelt hospital.
$40 a. m.-Additional reports indicate
| that the destruction of property was
much greater than at first repor ted, but
| figures can not now be given.
3:45 A. M.-Seventy five dwellings, most
| ly frame tenements. inhabited by poor
people, soap factory and a brewery are
among the buildings burned. The loss
will aggregate over $1,o00,0O0. The fire is
believed to be under control